The Cops Are Hot on Your Twitter Trail

According to the LA Times, Twitter keeps logs of your “location, IP addresses, search terms, pages visited and also data from when you visit third-party websites with Twitter buttons on them” (emphasis mine). That’s a lot of detail. And Twitter makes it available to the police over 75% of the time the cops ask for it, without a subpoena.

Most of the information in Twitter’s logs is deleted within 18 months, but it keeps some (not sure which) information longer, including when law enforcement asks it to.

Bottom line: If you use social networks, be aware of the tradeoff in privacy that comes with them. Just by opening an account or logging in, you share a ton of information about who you are, where you are, and what you are doing. Make sure you are willing to share it before you sign up. [via Technologist]

Sam Glover is a lawyer and the founder and Editor in Chief of Lawyerist.com. He also works with lawyers on motion practice and appeals, and is President of the board of directors of HOME Line, a nonprofit Minnesota tenant advocacy organization.